Books, Authors and multiple genres. To promote, encourage and discover authors for the book-aholic in all of us.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

About the Book

Book: Stitches in Time

Author: Suzanne Woods Fisher

Genre: Contemporary Amish fiction

Release Date: October 1, 2019

Detachment had worked well as a life strategy for horse trainer Sam Schrock. Until he met Mollie Graber . . .

New to Stoney Ridge, schoolteacher Mollie has come to town for a fresh start. Aware of how fleeting and fragile life is, she wants to live it boldly and bravely. When Luke Schrock, new to his role as deacon, asks the church to take in foster girls from a group home, she’s the first to raise her hand. The power of love, she believes, can pick up the dropped stitches in a child’s heart and knit them back together.

Mollie envisions sleepovers and pillow fights. What the 11-year-old twins bring to her home is anything but. Visits from the sheriff at midnight. Phone calls from the school truancy officer. And then the most humiliating moment of all: the girls accuse Mollie of drug addiction.

There’s only one thing that breaks through the girls’ hard shell–an interest in horses. Reluctantly and skeptically, Sam Schrock gets drawn into Mollie’s chaotic life. What he didn’t expect was for love to knit together the dropped stitches in his own heart . . . just in time.

Suzanne Woods Fisher invites you back to the little Amish church of Stoney Ridge for a touching story of the power of love.

About the Author

Carol-award winner Suzanne Woods Fisher writes untold stories about inspiring people. With over one million copies of her books sold worldwide, she is the bestselling author of fiction and non-fiction, ranging from Amish Peace: Simple Wisdom for a Complicated World to the historical novel Anna’s Crossing.

More from Suzanne

Have you ever felt the tug to become a foster parent?

On any given day, there are nearly 438,000 children in foster care in the United States. Most states have a critical need for more foster parents, and the number of children placed in foster care increases yearly.

There are plenty of assumptions about having foster children, but most are incorrect. The media has a tendency to focus on the negative, but from all the research I conducted to write this book, for every bad news story, there were two good ones. Good stories just don’t make the news.

Below are some of the most common assumptions about foster care, with corrected information that is applicable across the United States (but keep in mind that each state has their own requirements).

Myth: Kids in foster care are bad or troubled.

Truth: Children in foster care are good kids taken out of a troubled situation. They need a caring foster parent who is patient and understanding. When given the opportunity, most of these children begin to thrive.

Myth: To be a foster parent, you need to be married and own a home and be a college graduate.

Truth: You don’t need to be married or to own a home or even be a college graduate. That means if you’re single or renting, you can be a foster parent.

Myth: I can’t afford to be a foster parent.

Truth: There are monthly reimbursement rates for children in foster care based on the level of care you provide. Medical and dental care is paid through state Medicaid programs.

Myth: Most kids in foster care are teenagers.

Truth: The average age of a child entering foster care is seven years old.

Myth: Most kids are in foster care because their parents have abused drugs.

Truth: Now, this one is not a myth. It’s true. There are fifteen categories that can be responsible for a child’s removal from a home. Drug abuse from a parent has had the largest percentage increase.

Myth: Fostering could require a commitment until the child turns eighteen.

Truth: Generally, children remain in state care for less than two years. Only six percent spend five or more years in foster care.

Myth: It’s too hard to give a child up to his biological family.

Truth: Most children are in foster care for a short time, returning to their biological families. Reuniting a child to his family is the ideal situation. Foster families provide a safe haven for a child. Healthy grieving is to be expected, but it’s for the right reasons. It’s healthy.

Myth: You can’t adopt foster children.

Truth: In 2016, more than 65,000 children—whose mothers and fathers parental rights were legally terminated—waiting to be adopted. Also in 2016, more than 20,000 children “aged out” of foster care without permanent families. Research has shown that those who leave care without being linked to a “forever family” have a higher likelihood than the general youth population to experience homelessness, unemployment, and incarceration as adults.

Is there room in your heart and family for a child in need? There are many ways to get involved, some that do not even require foster care. One recommendation: volunteer with The National CASA Association (Court Appointed Special Advocates) for Children. You can find out more information here: www.casaforchildren.org.

Or consider small ways to connect to children in need—after school tutoring at your public library. Volunteering at a community center. Buy Christmas gifts for a family in need through an Adopt-a-Family program with a local church. Support a family who does provide foster care with respites—babysitting or meals. There’s many ways to get involved to care for children in need. And every little bit makes a difference.

Warning!!!! Before reading this book you will need several boxes of tissues. This has been an emotional journey for me. The writing is so empowering with how much God loves us. There is a lot of references to sheep in the story which I thought was visually perfect to illustrate how much God loves us. I am reminded of one story in the Bible where Jesus leaves ninety-nine sheep to go after the lost one. I feel lost sometimes and wonder what my purpose is. What keeps me going is knowing that no matter what, God is there to comfort me.

Izzy so desperately wants a child. Her desire is very strong but it did hinder her in areas that slowly come to the surface. When you have been abandoned as a child it is hard to realize that there are people who love you. The author gracefully lets us witness a young woman who is having trouble waiting on God, find her way from feeling unwanted as a child to what God's purpose for her is. There are others things blocking Izzy's happiness like her husband becoming a deacon. It was interesting to read about an Amish marriage and how they have problems like everyone else. This part of the story opened my eyes to some things I thought about Amish but were unfounded. They are not perfect, but strive to live unashamed lives. Yes they stumble, but they seek counsel and and ask forgiveness. We all try to hide our sins, but God has a way to bring them to surface.

The meat of the story for me was how the author gives readers insight into Foster Care. There are so many children waiting for their forever home. When there is talk that the community will take in foster care children for a period of time, Mollie jumps at the chance to take in two young sisters. Little did she know that she would have her hands full. What the girls need most is love, direction and acceptance. I loved how we see Mollie examine herself and see where her insecurities are. My heart went out to the children in the story. The perception that foster kids are troubled kids is not always true. Most of them have come from abusive homes where they witnessed how insignificant they are. Mollie's journey was very emotional as her desire to make an impact on these children will also teach her about love and asking for help.

The story is a wonderful journey of unconditional love and how important it is to give children guidance and a feeling of belonging. The author's eloquent story about foster care is one we all need to be aware of. I have always had a desire to adopt a child but always found excuses not to. I wonder what opportunity did I pass up to make a difference in a child's life? I loved the way a community comes together in this story to be the hands and feet of Jesus.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.

Friday, September 27, 2019

VALLEYS, VEHICLES & VICTIMS
BY TONYA KAPPES

Welcome back to another adventure in Normal Kentucky. This series is one of the best ever written. You can easily imagine the campgrounds as Mae oversees her business. Who wouldn't want to go there and be part of her group of friends? I have come to think of Mae as my friend and enjoy every story about her.

I loved the story of a wedding party visiting the campground. It was so fun to read about high society and Mae's past coming up to smack her in the face. What are the odds that she would know the father of the bride? Yes it is true that Mae once upon a time was in the middle of the influential people that made headlines just by appearing at a party.

The bride to be, Shay is a snobby rich girl that has her daddy wrapped around her finger. She is so spoiled that if she just snaps her finger, her daddy comes running to save the day. What I really liked was the business the family was in. Can you smell the coffee brewing as the story circles around a well know coffee company? Shay's daddy has made millions on his trade mark coffee. The plot thickens as the ownership of the famous coffee recipe comes into question.

The characters in this story are very well written and make for a great read in this free for all adventure with a wedding that may or may not happen. When someone is murdered from the wedding party, it is chaos at its best. Front and center is Mae as she tries to uncover secrets and find out who the killer is. I loved how the story had many surprises with suspects galore . There seems to be a bit of animosity between the bride and groom's family. Greed and deceit is at the center of this well written story.

It was nice to get more background on Mae and how she came to be the owner of Happy Trails Campground. Getting a glimpse into her past puts in perspective how hard she has worked to start over. Hank is always there to try to keep Mae out of trouble. Oh my I don't think he knows just how much trouble he is in trying to rein Mae in. This has been a great story filled with mystery, great characters and as always Mae at her best side job of sleuthing .

I received a copy of this book from the author. The review is my own opinion.

About the Book

Book: Forever, Lately

Author: Linore Rose Burkard

Genre: Time-Travel Romance

Release Date: October, 2019

Maine, present day

Author Claire Channing needs to write a bestselling book to salvage a failing career. She moves to her grandmother’s rustic cottage, but without the deed, the clock is ticking on how long she can stay. She thinks she’s writing St. John’s story, until an old prayer shawl with embroidered lovebirds transports her to his Regency world! She falls in love with him–a man she thought she created. But a jealous Miss Andrews would rather see Julian dead than inanother woman’s arms!

Claire and St. John must beat the clock to prevent a deadly tragedy, but can love endure past the limits of time?

About the Author

Linore Rose Burkard wrote a trilogy of genuine regency romances for the Christian market before there were any regencies for the Christian market. Published with Harvest House, her books opened the genre for the CBA. She also writes YA Suspense/Apocalyptic fiction as L.R. Burkard. Married with five children, Linore home-schools her youngest daughter, teaches workshops for writers, and is the Vice President of the Dayton Christian Scribes. Her latest PULSE EFFEX SERIES, takes readers into a “chilling possible future for America, while affirming the power of faith in the darkest of times.”

More from Linore

I wanted to write a Regency time travel for years. When I saw the movie “Kate and Leopold” I thought, Oh no! Someone used my idea! But I needn’t have worried. Leopold (Hugh Jackman) was a Victorian gentleman, not a Regencian. Secondly, though I enjoyed the flick, I kept thinking it missed many opportunities for humor. (Having written a screenplay since then, I now realize why it missed so many: tight scripts just don’t have room for all the scenes that could be fun.) When I wrote my story, however, I was able to include a lot of the humor scenes that had been floating around in my head for eons. It’s one of the reasons the book is a lot of fun to read—particularly when the Regency hero appears in the present.

On a side note, I started this book and then dropped it—for years—mostly because I wanted to write it as Christian romance like my other Regencies. But I kept running into roadblocks. And Christian publishers weren’t interested. Finally I realized I had to let God out of MY box and write the story he was giving me, not the one I thought he should give me. After that, it came together remarkably easily and quickly. And, I think, in a very fun way. I might even do a sequel.

This has been such a wonderful time slip story that I refused to put it down until I finished it. The author has done such an outstanding job of writing a story that slips back and forth in time without missing a beat. The time period is very intriguing as we go back to England in 1816. I enjoyed reading about the history of this time period.

What I loved most about this book was the creative way the author told a story. Authors do research when they are writing a book to make it as authentic to the time period as possible. What if an author could time travel to the period they were writing about? Better yet, what if they became part of the story and saw the characters in person from the book they were writing? This is exactly what happens in this fairy tale, time travel story.

Claire is beside herself trying to write a book that someone will publish. She is a very determined young woman who hasn't really felt like she fit in. The cottage she is living in is in danger of being torn down and she desperately wants to save it. We do get a glimpse of what her relationship was like with her mother which helped me understand how difficult it was to be confidant at times.

The author takes us back in time where we meet the dashing Julian St. John. What a catch he is and someone has their eyes on him. I loved the mystery that followed Julian and the woman who will stop at nothing to have him. I could see Claire as she came face to face with Julian. What a shock for her to meet the character she is writing about in a time slip story that has all the elements of a great movie.

There are some surprises in the story that shocked me and I became so involved in the story that I tuned out the world around me. It was worth it as I continued to read how Claire slips from one time period to the present. The story is very easy to follow and gives us a lesson in following your heart.

I received an arc copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

About the Book

Book: Texas Tears

Author: Caryl McAdoo

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release Date: September 2, 2019

Just like Mexico and the U.S. wanted the Republic of Texas; best friends Charity and Arlene want the same man. Who will Texas choose? Who will the man? Will Eberhart de Priest, the object of the young ladies’ desires, follow his heart or his mother’s advice? And what of the interloper from New Orleans who knows exactly whom he loves? Can a Christian find happiness with a non-believer? Only the Lord knows the future, but He does give the desires of the heart to those who delight in Him.

About the Author

Caryl McAdoo prays her story brings God glory—what she lives to do. Her award-winning, best-selling novels enjoy a lion’s share of 5-Star ratings from Christian readers around the world. With forty-five titles, it’s obvious she loves writing almost as much as singing the new songs the Lord gives her—listen to a few at YouTube. ‘Golden husband Ron shares four children and eighteen grandsugars. The McAdoos live in the woods south of Clarksville, seat of Red River County in far Northeast Texas, waiting expectantly for God to open the next door.

More from Caryl

TEXAS TEARS includes the vote to enter the Union or remain a Republic in 1845. Though it ended in an overwhelming approval to become a state, believe you me, tears fell all over Texas and have been falling since for some.

As a semi-closet secessionist, it wouldn’t bother me if the Texas Legislature voted tomorrow to become the Second Republic of Texas! There are plenty of true radicals living today in the Lone Star State who work diligently daily toward that end!

Anyway, tears also fell in the new Texas community where the four families first met in GONE TO TEXAS—the O’Neals, Van Zandts, Worleys, and Harrells—have been settling in five years. One of their own, Thomas Baldwin (introduced in book two, TEXAS MY TEXAS) represented them in the Texas Congress, going to Washington on the Brazos to vote!

Not all the tears that fell in that growing community were over the vote, but rather a man who came riding in on a magnificent black stallion. Eberhart de Vecchi was tall, handsome, and a perfect Prince Charming who swept the two young coming-of-age women there right off their high-topped shoes!

Friends their whole lives, the older, Charity O’Neal, claimed him right off, but Arlene Van Zandt the younger—only by six months and three days—who’s always given in before isn’t ready to acquiesce so quickly in this instance, smitten as she is.

And so, thar’s trouble in them thar hills! To thicken the sludge, enters the hard-working Landry Humble, Monroe’s (also introduced in book two TEXAS MY TEXAS) nephew. This young man, able to pick more than twice his weight in cotton in a day, knows immediately which lovely he wants.

My, my, my . . . the tears do fall in Texas, and not everyone can have a happy ending. Or can they?

Welcome to the great adventure in Texas where we meet characters who are written with compassion, depth and realistically. I had no trouble picturing myself back in the late 1840's. It was a time when Texas was fighting for independence and the towns were waiting to see what the vote would be. I loved the history in this story and how accurate it is. It is easy to recognize landmarks and towns because of the detailed description. You could sense the tension among the townspeople as they anxiously hoped for good news. Oh how exciting it would be to be among the people and experience such an historical event that changed lives and helped Texas become an important part in our country's heritage.

Charity O'Neal and Arlene Van Zandt are two young ladies who make the story intriguing and fun to read. Charity is sassy and quite prideful at times. Arlene is humble and has a dream to be an author. They are very close and always do things together. What a shame they let a man come between them. It was fun to read how these two women were smitten with the same man. I wonder who Hart will pick to be his wife? I am amazed that Hart was willing to let his mother decide who he should marry. Really? Hart please follow your heart and don't let your mother influence you.

I can't forget to mention a very important character. Landry is a man who is compassionate and has set his eyes on a certain young woman. He is hardworking and a joy to be around. He has set his eyes on someone who is struggling with their feelings. He questions if God is real and his doubts could push the woman he loves away. Reading how a character doubts God's existence is powerful and I loved the journey the character took to finding out how much they were loved by God. I love watching someone come to Christ and seeing their big smile as they feel His presence. It gives me chills as I remember the day I gave my life to Christ.

What I really enjoyed about this story was the wonderful biblical stories the author uses to illustrate how Jesus sees people. One of my favorite stories is about the woman who everyone was ready to throw stones at. Jesus told them, "Ye without sin cast the first stone." Oh I rejoice every time because we all have sinned. It is not our place to judge and the author reminds us of that with a beautiful woman from the Bible.

Some of the sayings the authors uses such as, "Seeing you this morning is like iced water on a hot day, with sugar and lemon....and a hint of mint, " is brilliant writing and fits perfectly in this time period. I will not divulge who ends up with who because it would spoil the entire story. I will say once again the author has written a story that is filled with wonderful references to scripture and helps me grow closer in my walk with God. The author illustrates about being unequally yoked, pride, jealousy and unconditional love.

Thank you for a story that spans the history pages as it highlights Texas. The characters are easy to relate to and along the way readers get a glimpse of God's love.. One of the best lines in the book says, " Sitting in a church doesn't mean a person has a relationship with God." That one statement has such power and I like how the author demonstrated how that statement will show the real character in people of this story. Tears are shed throughout the story and hearts are healed. Let the tears fall as you read a story that touches your soul and reaffirms the undeniable love that God has for us.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.